His Daughter, His Precious Princess
by GalwitMystoEggos
Summary: Following the events of Countdown to Destruction. Karone wants to know what happened to Ecliptor, and Andros helps her come to terms with the fate of her father.


_**This is what happens when finishing PRIS emotionally compromised me. I love Ecliptor and Astronema's relationship, and I'm not too happy about what happened in the end. And Andros & Karone are adorable siblings.**_

 _ **Takes place early on during the time the Rangers help rebuild KO-35. Andros and Karone go to Earth for a bit & have their talk aka "that's a long story."**_

 _ **(And yes, I know there'd be SO much more to their conversation than this, but this isn't about their entire talk)**_

 _ **I own nothing. Thanks for reading!**_

* * *

 _"Red Ranger, I'll see that you pay for this, if it's the last thing I ever do."_ Those were the last words of Andros' enemy of several years. The last words of a father devastated and infuriated at what happened to his daughter.

For Andros, Ecliptor always had been and always would be his enemy, and he never expected it to be any different. But at that moment, it _was_ different. It wasn't his enemy fighting him simply for rivalry's sake. It wasn't his enemy also mourning over Karone's lifeless body. At that moment, Andros saw Ecliptor not as an enemy, but as a father. The grieving father of his sister.

And it was hard enough admitting to his sister that he had killed her (although Andros kept referring to Karone as "Astronema" to make it easier on himself), but he hadn't realized how difficult it would be when she asked about Ecliptor.

Andros recounted what he knew had happened while Astronema had the cybernetic implants. Karone listened intently to her brother's words, too much in awe and confusion to do more besides silently nod.

She didn't blame Andros for what happened to her in the end. Instead she blamed herself for what she was about to do to the universe. Andros had explained it was by no means her fault; she wasn't in control of herself.

Andros finished the account, and she noticed he mentioned a brief fight with Ecliptor. However, the focal point of the finale was on Zordon's sacrifice, nothing more. Andros purposefully glossed over that part of the narrative. At the very least, Karone had lost a friend, and at the most, she had lost a parent. Why he thought she would let it slide, he didn't know. He hoped she wouldn't ask.

But Karone asked anyway.

"So, where's... where's Ecliptor?" Her last memory of him was when she snuck onto the Dark Fortress, and then he—no, no… that wasn't _him_ , she told herself. That wasn't Ecliptor. Ecliptor would never hurt his princess. No, her last memory was on the planet Yotoba, when Ecliptor destroyed Darkonda to save her. He knew she wasn't the Princess of Evil anymore, but that didn't change a thing. She was once again Karone, the little girl he swore to protect so many years ago.

She remembered how it both frightened and worried her to see Ecliptor in such a weakened state. She felt powerless. She remembered Ecliptor urging her to leave him and follow the Rangers because now it was their turn to protect her. She remembered being led away by her brother while Ecliptor was overpowered by Piranhatrons. She remembered hoping with all her heart that he would make it out alive. All Ecliptor ever wanted was his princess, his daughter, to be safe.

That, she said to herself, was the last time she saw her father.

Karone swallowed hard, looking at her brother with curious eyes, hoping somehow his answer wouldn't be what she expected.

Andros hesitated, trying to form the words in his mouth well enough to soften the blow. "The, ah, the Wave," he said simply.

"Oh," was all Karone could say. She tried to ignore her stomach dropping, the lump forming in her throat, the tears stinging her eyes. Of course the Wave had destroyed him, why should she live in denial? She cast her gaze elsewhere, away from her brother. "Where?"

Andros gestured to the Dark Fortress, a lone shadow in the distant plains. "If you want to, you know, say... goodbye, or..." He looked at her, unsure of what to say next.

Karone nodded. "Andros?"

"Yeah?"

"You'll come with me?"

"Of course." Andros wrapped his arm around her as they made their way to the ship.

* * *

Andros stayed back enough to give his sister time to be alone and to process things as she needed. Seeing her father, her protector, her second-in-command reduced to nothing but a small pile of dust brought back that sinking feeling of dread and sorrow she thought she had gotten over mere minutes ago.

Karone remembered little from her early years under Ecliptor's care, but she knew she had always felt safe with him. Sure, he had raised her to become someone she wished she hadn't, and there was a level of deceit about her family. She remembered waking up many nights with nightmares of images she thought were real. But Ecliptor had always been there to comfort her, even though he knew he shouldn't. In his mind, this was the best way he could atone for the lies he told her. He wouldn't have burdened the young, innocent child with the horrific story if he didn't have to. But the ruse did stop once she found out the truth. And if it were up to him, he would have told her the truth at the very beginning.

But if Ecliptor had told her the truth, she would have found her family, and then Dark Specter would have found her. Dark Specter would have his own methods of making Astronema the evil princess she became, and he would also have to designate a new guardian for her. Ecliptor found himself caring too much for the child. His child. Neither of those outcomes were acceptable. She would get hurt either way.

Karone now understood that the lies he had fed her were for her safety. Ecliptor was almost relieved when Astronema found out the truth until he realized what he had feared was coming to fruition. She had Darkonda after her, and it was only a matter of time before Dark Specter would get her.

The time came that he knew it could no longer be his duty to protect her; it was now her brother's job. His daughter was leaving him. She had to find out the truth eventually. She had to find herself eventually. All this time, everything he did was to protect her. He was there for her when nobody else was.

And because of this, he was the only one she had ever trusted, and frankly, he was the only one she had ever loved.

"Thank you, Ecliptor... for everything," she murmured, wishing more would come out, but nothing did. She sighed shakily and turned her head around, beckoning her brother over.

"He loved you," Andros said, crouching beside her.

"I know." Karone turned to face her brother. "Well... at least as much as someone built without a heart could."

Andros shrugged. "Maybe. But he seemed as heartbroken as I was when I—when Astronema died," he said soberly.

Karone again felt hot tears springing up in her eyes. Despite the reprogramming, Ecliptor's love and loyalty to his princess—his daughter—was stronger than the modifications forced upon him. "I don't know why I'm so upset, Andros. We... have real parents. Good, human parents out there somewhere, don't we? I shouldn't be sad."

"Karone..."

She stood up and sighed heavily. "He was evil. I was evil. It was a bad time. I shouldn't care."

"Karone!" Andros called out, louder this time, as he stood up next to her. "He raised you almost your entire life. He cared about you. It's ok to mourn."

"It's not what _good_ , normal people do! I don't know, Andros. I—" She shrugged, looking to Andros for any sort of help.

"Please believe me, Karone. You're allowed to be sad over this. No-one is going to think poorly of you."

Karone looked back at the pile of dust near her feet, swallowing hard. "He was all I had. The only friend, the only one truly loyal to me. And if it weren't for him, I probably would have died after Darkonda kidnapped me."

"Which is why what you're feeling is completely normal."

Karone faced him, shaking her head. "You shouldn't encourage this," she said, almost too sternly. "He raised me to become Astronema!"

"Listen to me. Ecliptor kept you alive, I owe him that much. I won't stop you from mourning over the loss of your friend and your father. You can be sad about this. Please believe me, Karone," Andros pleaded. "Please."

She nodded almost imperceptibly. "How did it happen?"

Karone had purposefully avoided asking about the specifics. The Wave killed the villains, including Ecliptor. That's all. Andros studied her carefully. He saw how hard she was trying to not emote the heartbreak she was feeling. He knew she felt disloyal to him, their friends, and even to their parents.

Nobody expected her to adjust immediately to a normal, good life. Nobody expected her to force bravery and be completely fine with the death of her "father."

"Do you really want to know right now?"

She lowered her voice to a whisper. "Yes, I do."

Andros glanced around, gathering his thoughts. "After you—after Astronema was blasted, he was finally able to get the door open, and he—I've seen him angry, but this was…different. He couldn't believe what I did to you. I couldn't either."

Karone noticed her brother's eyes welling up. Placing her hand on his arm, she told him, "Andros, it's alright. I'm ok." She gave him a reassuring smile. "What happened after that?"

Andros cleared his throat. "He rushed to your side. He seemed so human, and so …sad, like I was. He told you that you were like his daughter and he pleaded that you talk to him. But you—you didn't."

Andros' voice wavered at the memory; he had felt so scared and helpless. Had Ecliptor felt the same way? He turned to his sister, making sure she was alright.

"Keep going," she murmured, feeling a lone tear slide down her cheek.

"He vowed revenge for you and we fought, but it was short, and it was …different. He was different. I was able to incapacitate him quickly enough, but he still made his way to you. Then that was when Zordon told me to… you know…" Andros sighed deeply. "Ecliptor didn't want me to, and neither did I, but I had to. Ecliptor was the first one… hit by the Wave. He shielded your body with his."

"Ecliptor... I'm so sorry, my father," she whispered, trying to wipe away her tears. "I love you, Ecliptor."

"I know he knew it, too." Andros pulled her into a hug, kissing her forehead gently. "I'm so sorry, Karone." She could do nothing but hug him tighter.

When Karone finally pulled away, her eyes were glossy with tears but she managed a smile. "Thank you for being here, Andros."

"And I always will be. You're not alone in this."

* * *

Andros had insisted they have a memorial of sorts, promising Karone that nobody would oppose it. And if they did, he said, it doesn't matter what they thought. She smiled at that.

She visited often as she continued adjusting to normal life and trying to locate their parents. It started off as a means of comfort and stability in her new life. Eventually, it became a welcome part of her daily routine. She was grateful of how her brother was completely accepting of it. It was his idea, after all. But it shocked her on the day Andros asked to accompany her.

"Sure you can," Karone responded, some confusion in her voice.

Andros gave a slight grin. "I won't be long." He knew she appreciated the solitude.

Karone watched her brother curiously as he approached the memorial. He paused for a minute before speaking. "I... just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for keeping my sister safe and for taking care of her when I couldn't."

He turned back to Karone, who looked surprised. A warm, melancholic smile slowly crept over her face. "You didn't have to do that," she told him sincerely.

"Yes, I did," he replied, giving her arm a gentle squeeze. "Hey, I'll see you for dinner, ok?"

"I'll be there. And Andros? Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, Karone. See you soon. Oh, and also, Zhane's joining us," he added with a playful smirk, backing up before she could react.

Karone tried to glare, but she couldn't stifle her giggle. "Get out of here." Her brother obliged, much to her contentment, and she sat down in the grass, staring up at the darkening sky.

"I miss you so much," Karone breathed, blinking the moisture from her eyes. "But I'm going to be alright, Ecliptor. I've got Andros watching out for me, too. Your little girl is going to be alright."


End file.
